The holiday season always leaves me feeling less than my best. I’m tired, my skin is a mess, my pants barely fit, and I constantly feel like I’m coming down with something. As much as I love the parties, the cookies, and everything else that makes the month of December so special, I’m always eager to jump into a fresh, healthy routine come the new year.
My first order of business is detoxing my body from all the junk I’ve been overdosing on for the past month. I try my best to maintain a squeaky clean diet, and honey is always a staple in my clean-eating regimen. It’s loaded with enzymes and trace minerals that help rejuvenate my body, while adding just a hint of sweetness to some of my favorite foods.
This garlic honey is something we always keep on hand during the winter months to help ward off colds, flus, and other illnesses. Honey has natural antimicrobial properties and is an excellent remedy for soothing coughs and sore throats, but when combined with raw garlic, it becomes even more powerful.
For this dead simple recipe, pieces of raw garlic get mixed into raw honey to create a potent mixture that not only helps me feel better, it also tastes delicious. The garlic infuses the honey with flavor and also makes it quite liquidy. Over time, the garlic soaks up the honey and becomes almost candied. The texture becomes a bit chewy, and its bite is softened dramatically.
The second I start to feel even the tiniest tickle in my throat, I’ll take a tablespoon of the honey and pop a couple of the garlic cloves. Like magic, it soothes my sore throat and gets me back to feeling like myself again within 24 hours. I’m left with some pretty funky garlic breath, but it’s well worth it to not be bedridden with the sniffles all week. I happen to be a big garlic lover, so I really enjoy the taste.
I like it so much, in fact, that I use garlic honey all the time even when I’m not feeling under the weather. It’s wonderful in salad dressings and sauces, but my absolute favorite way to enjoy it is drizzled over pizza. It adds the most incredible contrast, creating this salty-sweet garlicky flavor explosion. Chaser and I especially love it on a pepperoni pizza with extra chili flakes.
This garlic honey is so simple to throw together, all it needs is a little time to allow the ingredients to meld. The longer it sits, the better it gets. The honey tastes more garlicky, while the garlic gets sweeter and more mellow. It also starts to ferment a bit, which I find adds even more flavor and immune-boosting properties.
I hope this potent, tasty concoction becomes a new staple in your home for wintertime and beyond.
One Year Ago: Cinnamon Raisin Walnut No-Knead Bread
Three Years Ago: Maple Berry Breakfast Clafoutis
Garlic Honey
Garlic and honey are both great for immune support as well as when you feel a tickle in your throat. Putting them together makes it SO convenient to take when you need it.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 pint 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 large bulb or 2 smaller bulbs of garlic (organic or locally grown is best)
- 16 ounces raw honey
Instructions
- Separate and peel each clove of garlic, then cut into halves or quarters depending on size. It’s important to cut each piece of garlic at least once so that they release their allicin. Add to a mason jar, then cover with honey. Stir, then cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least 48 hours or up to a week.
- The garlic will still be quite potent at this point, but it is ready to be used. The garlic will mellow out and become more “candied” as time goes on. Store in the refrigerator for up to one year.
Notes
Yields about 1 pint
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 24
- Sugar: 5.8 g
- Sodium: 0.5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.3 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: garlic honey, immune support
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Sabine | Also The Crumbs Please
I feel you, Coley. I totally have the same thoughts on Christmas feasting and the hangover in January. This garlic honey will help me to detox my body. Great recipe and so beautiful photos! Love it.
Mina and John
Great recipe! We used it on our flounder and salmon, delicious. The garlic taster like candy 🙂
Coley
Thank you Mina!! So glad you guys enjoyed it. Stay safe!! <3
Kimberly
I have a big bag of garlic that needs to be used before it’s sell by date. I see that your notes say this can be stored in the fridge for up to a year. What keeps this garlic from going bad?
Coley
Both garlic and honey have natural antiseptic properties. The honey actually preserves the garlic
Roy Grasham
Yes! Was great. Thank you. I will see if helps this winter.
Coley
SO happy you enjoyed it!
Jaz
I saw you said it get liquidus but is there any point it would be considered like "spoiled" how do you know when it's time to toss and make a new batch?
Coley
Hi Jaz, great question! Because honey is relatively acidic, there is a very low risk of botulism with this preparation. However, you can use a PH strip to test the acidity if you're concerned. Botulism spores need a pH higher than 4.6 to reproduce, and honey is usually around or under 4, depending. If the pH is too high, add 1/2 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar, then retest until the PH is below 4.6. You likely won't need to do this, but it can't hurt to check. Otherwise, the honey will last quite a long time in the refrigerator. Toss it if the flavor starts to turn or if you think it's been sitting around for too long.
Karsten
Most recipes I find about making garlic honey mention needing to "burp" the jar in order to avoid a - for lack of better words - explosive mess. In your recipe it doesn't mention having to burp the jar. When you say to cover it for those 48 hours, what do you use? Do you have to burp the jars at all and why/why not?
Coley
It will take a lot more than 48 hours at room temperature for it to explode, so burping is really not necessary. This is not a long fermentation. I like to cover it with a towel for the first 48 hours and then put a lid on the jar to refrigerate. Once in the refrigerator it's good to go.
Kim
Just made my first of hopefully many jars of this garlicky honey. Can't wait to taste it 🙂 Do you have to store it in the fridge or can you leave it on the counter??
Coley
I know some who keep it on the counter but I prefer keeping it in the fridge to be safe. I think it keeps longer this way.